


Hey Angel

by Paladin-Pile (UserFromPluto)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Family, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Orphan Keith, hurt keith, lance deals with FeelingsTM, mid-battle conversations, sweetheart Lance, this is an emotional K.O. to be honest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-03 18:57:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8726401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UserFromPluto/pseuds/Paladin-Pile
Summary: "You’re the red paladin for pete’s sake, you can do anything...You’re cocky and reckless and you annoy me to no end, but holy cheese I love you.”-(A lot can happen in the span of three days. Lance learns life is fragile and treasures it more, especially when it belongs to a dark-eyed boy who has never been loved.)





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

   Lance snuck into the castle’s kitchen for the fifth time that day, eager to get more of the new drink that Hunk and Coran had come up with. The taste was a strange cross between tea and egg nog--or maybe apple cider. It was smooth and spicy, and could be drunk hot or cold, though Lance preferred it hot. 

   It had been a rough day on all fronts. Between a morning drill, several hours on cleaning duty, and extra training, Lance was ready for a break.

   They had spent the afternoon doing the mind-meld exercise, which Lance didn’t mind at all. He was beginning to enjoy opening up to his teammates, especially with thoughts about his family. It had been going well, but after a while Keith had gotten weird, throwing down his headpiece without warning and storming out. He had been acting like a skittish cat ever since, and seemed to be avoiding Lance specifically. The image of Keith’s furrowed brow and clenched jaw was stuck in Lance’s mind, and he pushed it away with a huff. So Keith was being broodier than usual, why was he feeling so hung up about it?

   Grabbing an oval cup off the rack, he stood in front of the drink dispenser, sighing in happiness as the bluish liquid poured out. He was very sentimental when it came to food--well, a lot of things, really--and something tasty never failed to improve his mood.

   Lance had just lifted the cup to his mouth when arms wrapped around his middle, causing him to jump and make an undignified squeaking sound. Checking and finding he had not spilled anything, he turned his attention to who could have cuddle attacked him. The body pressed to his back was too small to be Hunk or Shiro, and too big to be Pidge. It could be Allura, but-

   His thoughts cut off abruptly when he glanced down and saw the familiar black gloves and red and white jacket sleeves that were wrapped around his waist. His eyes widened and he nearly dropped the cup again.

   “Keith?!” He asked incredulously, looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, the mop of black hair resting between his shoulderblades removed all doubt, and Lance squirmed in irritation. He half expected Keith to make a jab at him or something, anything to distract Lance from the warmth of Keith’s palms bleeding through his shirt, dredging up feelings he was uncomfortable with. “Keith?” he tried again, “What’s going on?” 

   “Nothing,” Keith muttered, still not budging.

   Lance opened his mouth to deliver his trademark sass, but then closed it, furrowing his brow. For all their petty fights and rivalry, he didn’t hate the other boy. Something was obviously bothering him, and Lance was too merciful to give him a hard time. He chuckled softly and reached a hand back over his shoulder to ruffle Keith’s hair.

   “Aww, does the big bad paladin miss his mommy?” he asked. Keith instantly tensed, body going rigid, and Lance sighed.

   “That’s it, isn’t it.” He patted Keith’s head once more before moving his hand to one of the arms on his waist. “Tell me about her.”

   There was a long pause in which Lance sipped his not-tea, unsure whether Keith would take him up on the offer or not. Finally, Keith broke the silence, in a voice so small Lance had to strain to hear him.

   “I don’t remember,” he said, and Lance recoiled in shock, turning slightly to get a better look at the other boy.

   “Wha-How could you not  _ remember? _ ” he asked, voice pitched with disbelief. Keith let go and jumped back like he had been burned, scowling at the kitchen floor.

   “I just don’t, okay! I was too little,” the red paladin retorted, crossing his arms angrily. His eyes were still glued to the floor, but he was hunched in on himself in a way that made Lance’s gut turn uncomfortably. Without looking away, he set the cup down and took a tentative step closer, ducking his head in an effort meet Keith’s gaze. 

   “What do you mean?” he asked, voice deliberately gentle. Keith moved away until his back was against the wall, taking a deep breath before letting the words spill out like water from a dam.

   “She died when I was four. I was in an orphanage ‘till the Garrison. Sometimes I forget what she looked like, and I don’t even know her  _ name _ .” Keith clutched his head and went to move away, but Lance intercepted him, grasping the front of his jacket with one hand to keep him in place.

   “Keith,” he said softly. “Why’d you come to me?” Keith swallowed and looked away.

   “I just...needed…”

   “Needed what?” Lance prompted.

   “I don’t know!” Keith burst out. “Just...someone.” He drew in a wet, shaky breath that made Lance’s heart ache. The shorter boy bowed his head, still refusing to look at Lance even though they were so close Lance couldn’t miss the water building in Keith’s eyes. 

   “I don’t even know what happened, I was just thinking, and…everyone thinks I like being alone but I don’t.” 

   Lance’s mouth opened, but he couldn't speak. All the air had left his lungs, a gaping hole slowly growing in his chest. He stood rooted to the ground, unable to move or respond, and a few ticks passed before Keith continued speaking, voice even quieter than before.

   “I always wanted a family...a family like yours,” he admitted, eyes downcast like he was ashamed of the fact. “I just wanted someone who would care if I died or didn't eat enough or had a nightmare. Someone who wouldn't leave me-” 

   Keith choked on the last word, and Lance watched in shock as a tear made it’s way down Keith’s cheek, falling from his chin and onto Lance’s hand. The small warmth sent him a surge of emotion--something strong he had never felt around Keith before--and he shook off the hesitancy between them. Pressing close to the trembling boy, he brought his hands up to cradle the back of Keith’s neck. 

   “Hey,” Lance said hoarsely, hindered by the sudden lump in his throat. “It’s alright, you’re not alone here.”

   More tears fell down Keith’s cheeks and Lance had the urge to kiss them. He nearly had a heart attack at the thought, but pushed the freak-out away for later. For now he rested his forehead against Keith’s and stroked the side of the other’s neck with his thumb. Keith continued to cry softly, small sobs and inhales sounding so broken Lance could practically feel the pieces rattling in his chest. 

   After a moment, Keith’s hands fluttered over Lance’s ribs before clutching the front of his green jacket. Slowly, he tucked his face into the taller boy's neck, light breaths flitting across his collarbone, and Lance’s mind went blank. His heart pounded, and his whole world narrowed down to the points of warmth where Keith was touching him. 

   “I’m sorry I ran out of training earlier,” Keith said, breaking Lance out of his daze. “I wasn’t mad at you, I just…” He sighed and Lance waited patiently for him to find the words. Finally, Keith shifted and spoke again.

   “Can you tell me about your family?” he whispered, voice getting trapped between them. “I want to...I wanna know what it’s like to be loved.”

   The simple words ripped through Lance’s chest like a blade, and his composure crumbled. Throwing his arms around Keith, he clutched him tightly, tangling his fingers in Keith’s hair and letting the tears overflow. 

   It hurt. It hurt to know what Keith had been going through, and if Lance’s family were here they would be hugging the daylights out of this boy and loving him till he exploded. But Lance was the only one here, and he would be damned if he didn’t channel them all and pour every ounce of  _ care _ into Keith so he never felt alone again. 

   Keith lifted his head when he felt Lance’s body shake against his own.

   “Are you crying?” he asked, and Lance squeezed him tighter, trying and failing to hold in his sobs. 

   “Yeah,” he replied with a wet laugh, knowing he was naturally soft-hearted and not ashamed of it. He opened his eyes and stared at the wall behind Keith, tears still soaking the red paladin's shoulder. What could he say? How could he properly describe the feeling of being loved to someone who had apparently never experienced it before? Thinking back to his own family and all the ways they showed their care and affection, Lance suddenly knew what to say, the words filling his heart and welling over

   “Being loved...it’s amazing, Keith,” he whispered. “It feels warm and safe, like somehow you know someone else’s home is in your heart. You bicker and scuffle over stupid stuff like who gets the first shower time or the best slice of pot roast. It’s horribly wrapped Christmas presents and little siblings who draw pictures of you together. It’s when someone patches you up when you hurt yourself and kisses you goodbye every time you leave the house. It’s when you have a place where you know people would rather see your face than anything else in the universe, who’ll laugh with you, cry with you, and beat up anyone who looks at you wrong.” He huffed a laugh as a particular memory flashed by, then squeezed the motionless Keith even tighter. 

   “It’s knowing you’re more precious to someone than any treasure and gold and...and all that stupid stuff.” Suddenly aware of how much he was rambling, he blushed and trailed off awkwardly. 

   “Wow, that...” Keith whispered, breathless. “I want that.”

   Lance cuddled him closer. “Of course you do, it’s ok,” he assured, not knowing what else to say. Keith sniffled and curled a little closer to him.

   “But what do I do, Lance? I’ll never have that. No one ever wanted me,” Keith said quietly, and apparently the universe was going for a record on how many tears Lance could shed. 

   “Keith, you  _ do _ have that. It’s us!” he said fiercely, squeezing the dark-haired boy so tightly it must have hurt. He wasn’t quite sure what he was saying, but words spilled out of his mouth in desperation to say something, anything, that would stop this precious human from feeling so worthless. 

   “We all love you like that,” Lance declared. “We’ve got this whole space family thing going on, ya know? Sure it’s kind of unusual. But hey, it works, and that’s what matters, right?” 

   Keith remained silent, and Lance’s cheeks grew hot with the thought of just how vehemently he had included himself among those that loved Keith, but he wasn't about to take it back. He could deal with a little embarrassment if it meant Keith’s well-being. The red paladin relaxed a little, but still said nothing. Lance figured Keith needed time to process all this, which was fine, but the silence was stretching on and in danger of getting awkward. He was still holding Keith like his life depended on it, though the boy’s tears had pretty much ceased. 

   Before he could panic thinking what to do next, there was a thump from the doorway and Hunk walked in carrying a large box. Keith nearly jumped out of his skin, away from Lance, and they both scrubbed at their tear-streaked faces.

   “Hey, I’ve got some top-notch local vegetables here,” Hunk was saying, setting the box down on the counter. “We’re gonna eat good tonight!” His gaze flickered between the other two with a warm smile, and Lance shot him a grateful look in return, knowing his best friend was more observant than he let on. Hunk paused for a second in thought, then made his way over to them.

   “You know what?” he said happily, “I could use some help here in the kitchen.” He threw an arm around each of their necks, pulling them close till their heads nearly bumped. “We can make it a surprise for the others. There's that big mission tomorrow everyone’s worried about, and a little something nice would be good for everyone.”

   “Sounds great, Hunk,” Lance agreed, sneaking a glance at Keith. The red paladin’s hair was falling in his face as he was squished into Hunk’s chest, but there was a small, genuine smile on his lips, and it warmed Lance’s heart. 

   “You guys alright?” Hunk asked in a caring tone, voice rumbling through Lance’s chest. For a split second Keith’s violet eyes met his, and Lance swore he would go through a thousand battles to protect the small light that had appeared in them. Quickly, Keith looked away, and Lance smiled softly.

   “We’re gettin’ there, Hunk,” he said. “We’re gettin’ there.”

  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things will get worse before they get better...  
> Next chapter will be a bit longer


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe I finally finished this, another fic under my belt and 5 more in the works lol. Anyway, enjoy!

 

 

    Lance was being tortured, plain and simple. Tortured by his own traitorous mind.

   Ever since their little feels session in the kitchen, Keith had been on his mind nonstop. As in, he physically could not remove the boy from his consciousness for one second out of the day.

   Lance wasn’t stupid. He knew he had a major crush on the Keith, and had been in denial of this for some time. As a matter of fact, no. He definitely did _not_ have a crush on Keith. But the memory of holding Keith in his arms, of pulling him close and comforting him, Keith’s soft hair tickling his chin, was driving him nuts.

   A strange tingling lingered under his skin and made his heart beat faster. The sensation felt a whole lot like his mother’s teasing pokes and his sisters’ waggling eyebrows, but Lance pursed his lips and squashed it down. Keith needed a friend, a support system, not...whatever bizarre mess of feelings Lance was currently suffering from.

   This was getting ridiculous. Just looking at the red paladin made Lance feel like a rug was yanked out from under him, making him lose himself for a few seconds in a jumble of thoughts and emotions. The strongest sentiment was always to grab Keith and smother him in affection, to hold him tightly but gently, to let him cry and feel safe and loved and-

   Lance growled out in frustration and slapped himself in the face. _What was WRONG with him?_ This was getting out of hand and just... _what?_

   “Uh...Lance?”

   Lance snapped out of his little crisis with a yelp, glancing around the control room like a deer in the headlights. Oh, right. Strategy meeting. They were supposed to be planning their next mission and now everyone was looking at him. Pidge being the one who had spoken when the blue paladin smacked himself out of thin air.

   “It’s...uh...mosquitoes!” Lance replied eloquently, making a show of wiping his palm on his jeans. The others gave him disbelieving looks, but carried on with the meeting, knowing from experience not to question his little episodes. From across the room Lance caught Keith staring at him and shot the mullet-head a vicious pout. It was all his fault anyway!

   Keith gave him a bewildered look, obviously not knowing the depths of insanity he was driving Lance to, and probably confused by Lance’s bizarre behavior in the past day. Lance _was_ trying to act normal around Keith while fighting these feelings, but it was difficult and awkward. To escape this, he had unconsciously been avoiding Keith, and to be honest he felt a little guilty about it. Sighing internally, he forced himself to focus on what was being said in the meeting. Keith could wait.

  
**.......**

 

   It was almost funny how often things went wrong.

   Their goal had been to infiltrate a Galra compound located on a nearby planet, and because of the need for stealth, they only took two lions for transportation. Said lions were now hidden in the forest, leaving the paladins mostly defenseless when their plan went haywire.

   Lance grit his teeth and cursed under his breath as more drones poured in through an opening in the wall. How the Galra had known they were here was beyond him, but there was no time to figure it out now.

   Carefully, he adjusted himself in his sniper lookout, trying to keep his balance as yet another explosion rocked the building. Hardly missing a beat, he took aim and felled another drone trying to get into the compound.

 _“Pidge, hurry!”_ Hunk’s voice filtered through the com, yellow armor barely visible through the smoke. Another explosion nearly knocked Lance off his perch, and when the aftershock was gone, he quickly climbed down to join his friends. When he arrived, Pidge yanked off her helmet and gestured to Hunk’s.

   “That last explosion messed with our comms,” she said. “Shiro lost his as soon as we got here, and I can’t get ahold of the castle.”

   “Did you get the information?” Hunk asked, and Pidge held up a tiny storage device.

   “Yup.”

   “Then time to get out of here!” he cried, dragging both Lance and Pidge around the corner so they could start running back the way they came.

   “Allura, can you hear me? Keith?” Lance called, the red light on his helmet flickering as the message was transmitted. There was some static that sounded like the Allura, but he couldn’t make it out. There was more crackling, louder this time, and now he clearly recognized the voice.

_“Lance.”_

   Lance grabbed his helmet in an attempt to hear better. “Keith?”

 _“I can’t hear the others,”_ Keith said, voice strained. His breathing was irregular in a way that raised warning bells in Lance’s brain, and he slowed to a walk.

   “That’s because their comms got knocked out in the explosion,” he replied. “They’re ok, though. Pidge is done so we’re heading back to the green lion.” There was a long pause, and Lance had to check to make sure his comm was still on.

_“...okay.”_

   There were a few more beats of silence and Lance frowned. Louds sounds came from across the line, followed by a gasp and whimper from Keith. A bad feeling grew in Lance’s gut and he slowly stopped walking.

   “Keith, what’s going on?” he asked.

 _“Stuff...falling…”_ came Keith’s reply. _“I’m in...s-ome sort of hole.”_ Lance choked on air and snapped his head up, frantically grabbing the tracker on his wrist that showed all the paladins’ locations.

   “And when were you going to tell us this?!” he cried, voice rising in pitch. The silence that answered him sent his heart plummeting to the floor and he grit his teeth in desperate anger.

   “Where are you?” he growled. “I’m coming to get you.” Keith still didn’t respond, so Lance grabbed Hunk’s arm to get the larger boy’s attention, gesturing down the hallway.

   “I’m going to get Keith!” he shouted, hoping the sound would carry through both their thick helmets and the sounds of battle around them. Hunk must have understood because he looked worried, opening his mouth, but Lance cut him off with a shove toward where Pidge had disappeared. The yellow paladin took the hint, sending him a ‘good luck’ expression before jogging away. Lance turned and hurried in the direction his blinking tracker told him Keith was, holding his bayard at the ready.

   “Ok buddy, come on. Just keep talking to me,” he demanded.

 _“Yeah I’m here,”_ Keith rasped, just as Lance rounded a corner and came face to face with a group of drones. Lance cursed and opened fire, determination fueling his actions and making him fight more ruthlessly than he usually did. There was a clattering of metal as the drones fell, and slowly he advanced forward, leaping over rubble as he called out again.

   “Keith?” There was no response, only gasping breaths over the line, so Lance started rambling about the first thing that came to mind.

   “Ya know, I didn’t tell you this yesterday, but when we get back to Earth, you can have my mom. I mean, we can share ok?” Lance forced his voice to steady as he flattened himself against another wall. “When we get back I’ll take you to her, and she’ll feed you and fuss over you and love you so much you’ll explode.”  His words broke off in a huff as Lance paused, gasping for breath. Talking while running was hard, but he needed to make sure Keith stayed awake. He scanned the open area in front of him with a sharp gaze, calculating how to best take out the approaching enemies.

 _“...love me…”_ Keith voice drifted in his ear so small, so sorrowful, that Lance sucked in a breath, hand faltering slightly as he shot the head off another drone that spotted him. He grit his teeth and darted forward, Keith’s voice still filtering through the chaos.

 _“L-Lance it hurts. I can’t breathe…”_ his voice broke into a painful-sounding rasp and Lance gripped his bayard so tight the plastic cracked. He continued to shoot and clamber his way through the wreckage, but it was hard when he was so distracted. Images of a little Keith, alone and scared in an orphanage, suddenly plagued his mind.

   “Hang in there Keith. I’m coming, I’m coming,” Lance breathed. He was moving as fast as he could, but it was hard going. He kept running into scattered groups of Galra drones and having to sneak around or fight them to get through.

   “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” he muttered, “You gotta be ok.” He swallowed hard, lump forming in his throat. Throwing himself against another wall he tipped his head back against it, staring blankly at the metal ceiling while his chest heaved for air. Keith’s own panting breaths sounded painful even through the earpiece, and Lance was panicking enough to ramble non-stop, not caring what came out of his mouth.

   “You’re the red paladin for pete’s sake, you can do anything." Sweat dripped down Lance’s forehead and he ground his helmet further back into the stone wall, feeling strangely vindicated by the scraping sound. “You’re cocky and reckless and you annoy me to no end, but _holy cheese_ I love you.”

   Lance didn’t even flinch at the confession. His verbal filters were long gone and he always knew he would have to admit it eventually. Keith might as well know now than later.

_“Swiss.”_

   “What?” Lance asked, confused.

_“Swiss, it’s ‘hole-y cheese.”_

   “Wha-Did you just make a pun?” Lance yelped, dodging quickly when a blast flew by in his moment of distraction.

_“Been...been around you…”_

   “Keith! I swear if I get all the way there and you’re dead I’m gonna kill you!”

   Another explosion rumbled to his left, and no sooner had he ducked to avoid flying debris than his ears were filled with Keith’s screams. Lance’s heart stopped but he kept moving on instinct, launching himself forward and mowing down yet another blockade of drones (how many of those things _were_ there?), and spotting the compound gate just beyond them.

   “Keith,” he panted. The screaming had stopped and his teammate was silent. Too silent. For a few horrible seconds there was no reply, but finally the line crackled to life.

 _“Lance,”_ Keith spoke again, thick with pain and an emotion Lance couldn’t place.

   “Yeah, buddy. I’m here,” he replied, but Keith didn’t seem to hear him.

 _“Lance...Lance,”_ he sobbed, and Lance’s vision blurred.

   “You’re gonna be fine, Keith. I’m almost there, just hang on-”

_“No.”_

   “What you do mean, no?” Lance retorted, reaching the stone wall of the compound and starting to climb over it.

 _“You...you can’t come,”_ Keith whispered, ragged voice hardly recognizable. _“They’ll get you.”_

   “I’m not leaving you!” Lance shouted, staggering over the rough terrain to where the tracker said Keith would be. There in front of him was a gaping hole in the ground, so deep it descended into blackness. There were remnants of a rock wall around it, along with massive wooden beams that were broken and strewn around the opening. Lance guessed it had been a well at one time, long ago. Cautiously he clambered over a fallen beam to peer down, searching for any sign of his teammate.

   “Keith?” he called.

 _“...I see you,”_ came the reply, though Lance wouldn't have heard it without the radio. Clenching his fists, he picked his head up to look around. The planet was eerily silent, smoke rising up to the sky, and Lance could see the castle in the outer atmosphere with the green lion approaching it. If only he could get through to them!

   “Allura! _Allura!_ Coran, can anyone hear me? Keith is trapped, we need help!” he cried. There was a rush of static and a warbled voice that sounded like the princess, but it was cutting out and Lance couldn't understand any of it. Cursing bitterly, he slammed his fist into the beam. “Looks like we’re on our own Keith, I’m coming down.”

   Squeezing his eyes shut, he sent a plea for help to Blue before activating his jet boosters and lowering himself into the hole. He had to maneuver his way through the tight maze of fallen debris as he descended, and when he reached what seemed to be the bottom, he found a place to put his feet and shut off the boosters.

   As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dimmer light, he looked around and spotted the white parts of Keith’s armor. Moving as fast as he could around the rubble, he slid to his knees at Keith’s side, gasp tearing from his throat at what he found.

   Huge chunks of rubble were literally crushing Keith, pinning him to the ground and the rocks around him like a doll carelessly tossed aside. One of the broken beams lay directly across his torso, and Lance couldn’t even see his arm.

   “How’d you get down here?!” Lance asked incredulously, more to himself than anything. Keith didn’t respond, just kept staring blankly, and a chill of dread settled in Lance’s gut. He shook his head frantically.

   “No no no no,” he muttered.

   He vaguely recalled moving heavy things off a person who had been crushed would cause tremendous pain and could even be fatal, but they didn’t have a choice if they wanted to get out. Carefully he placed his hands on the lower half of Keith’s helmet, smoothing his thumbs on the part of the boy’s face he could reach under the visor.

   “Keith look at me,” he said. “You’re gonna be ok. Just hang in there, I gotcha.” As if to prove his point, a shadow fell across them as the blue lion appeared over the mouth of the well. The ground shuddered as her massive paws set down, and Lance felt her worried purring in his mind.

   Having Blue nearby gave him courage, and immediately he took stock of their surroundings, making a plan of escape.

   He began to move things around, causing dust to rise thick in the air. He coughed violently, but shouldered on, pushing aside what rubble he could reach in the small space. It was all so heavy, some of it was jammed in, and Lance’s heart sunk as he realized there was no way he could clear it all away. The biggest beam crushing Keith was wider than Lance’s shoulders and was buried in the opposite wall. With quickening breath he began clawing at any dirt and rubble he could reach, getting more frantic by the second until he was interrupted by Keith’s weak voice.

   “Lance...it’s alright.”

   “What?” Lance asked breathlessly, turning away from the rock he was trying to dislodge to look at Keith.

   Keith swallowed hard. The movement of his throat was slow and dragging, and Lance had to pull his gaze away from it, back to Keith’s glassy eyes. Keith was looking at him calmly, tenderly, and he reached out to brush the fingers of his free hand over Lance’s own. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.

   “It’s ok, Lance. Just let me die.”

   The air rushed from Lance’s lungs like he had been punched in the gut, and a black horror clawed at his insides. He snarled and lunged toward the red paladin.

   “No!” he snapped, and shook Keith slightly, ignoring the tiny grunt of pain in his desperation to do something, anything, to get that look of _acceptance_ off Keith’s face. “No I won’t, you hear me! How could you even say that!” He was yelling now, trembling in fear and anger. “We’re getting out, and you’re going to be fine!” Keith grimaced and shook his head.

   “Will you just _listen_ -”

   “No!”

   Blue rumbled again, louder and more persistent, and Lance startled, realizing she had been trying to get his attention for some time. He forced himself to breathe deeply, to calm down enough to open his mind to her. The images she projected were confusing at first, but then his eyes widened.

   “She has a tractor beam,” he breathed, jerking up so fast he almost hit his head on a rock. “Keith, she has a tractor beam! She’ll lift this stuff off and get us out of here!” Lance could have cried tears of relief, but held them back to focus on the task at hand. Leaning forward, he wiped the dirt off Keith’s visor with his glove.

   “Ok, I won’t lie, Keith. It’s gonna hurt,” he said, heart panging in anticipation. “Just hang in there, I’ll try to make it fast.”

   Keith gave a slight nod and Lance took a deep breath, closing his eyes and focusing on his connection with Blue. Within a few seconds a humming sound appeared, growing louder as a pink light descended from Blue’s mouth and began lifting everything in its path. Creaking, groaning, and rumbling echoed through the well as metal bent and rocks dislodged. The rubble began to lighten, then lift off of them. Keith gave a sharp cry as the pieces trapping him shifted, and Lance grabbed his hand, heart pounding in his chest.

   When the last beam over Keith’s torso was lifted free, the red paladin screamed, and Lance whispered reassurances as he carefully picked up his teammate. It was only a few seconds before Keith went limp, pained sounds choking off as he passed out. Lance’s heart seized before he realized it was better if Keith was unable to feel pain, and he clung tightly to the unconscious boy as they both floated up to Blue’s waiting mouth. Lance barely had time to wonder where she put the rubble before he was stumbling into the cockpit, the slow-motion feel of the past few minutes disappearing and slamming Lance’s world back into focus.

   He jumped into the seat with Keith in his lap, and no sooner had Blue’s mouth closed than she was shooting up into the sky. Holding Keith close with one hand, Lance reached out the other to slam the button that would open a channel to the castle. As soon as the video screen appeared he was bombarded with voices talking over one another, all the others gathering quickly around the monitor.

_“Lance! Where are you guys? We've been worried sick!”_

   “We’re on our way,” Lance replied, voice sounding ragged to his own ears. “Have a healing pod ready, he-”

   With a staggering breath Lance looked down at the motionless boy in his arms, and it was then he noticed the blood. The dark, slick liquid was on his hands, his chest, the seat, and the dashboard where he had touched the comm button. It was on Keith too, soaking his uniform, and Lance didn’t know where it was coming from.

   “He’s…” Lance murmured in a daze. “He’s bleeding, I don’t…” The lion shook as they broke through the atmosphere, but Lance didn’t notice the jolting, didn’t hear his name being called worriedly from the still-open transmission. Gently, Lance pulled off Keith’s helmet and turned the dark-haired head towards him

   Keith’s face was slack and peaceful, and there was a trail of blood from his mouth to the edge of his chin. Lance’s mind was static, unable to form a coherent thought as he suddenly struggled to breathe. He traced the grime-covered cheek with a trembling finger, Keith’s timid and pleading words from the day before ringing in his ears.

_I wanna know what it’s like to be loved._

  
  
  
  
  
   When Blue finally landed in the hangar, the others find Lance curled around a too-red paladin, hot tears leaving tracks of mud on his dirt-covered face.

  
  
  
**.......**

 

   According to Coran, Keith had been rescued just in time.

   For the past 24 hours Lance had been slumped in front of Keith's pod, only moving to get cleaned up and eat because the others insisted on it. When the pod finally hissed open Lance tried to jump up, but the stress of the previous day had drained him, and by the time he made it to his feet Keith had already been caught by Shiro. The black-haired boy was pale and shivering, nose and cheeks red with cold, and immediately the little group surrounded him with gentle hands and words of relief.

   “How are you feeling?” Allura asked softly.

   “C-cold,” Keith replied, teeth chattering, and Lance pushed to the front of the circle.

   “‘Course you are,” he fussed. “Here, take this.” Squirming out of his green jacket, he moved a clingy Pidge aside to help Keith put it on, pulling it tight around him and tugging the hood over Keith’s head.

   “He’s going to need strict bed rest for at least another day,” Coran was saying. “Preferably with someone to watch over him.”

   “I’ll take him,” Lance said quickly, and surprisingly, no one protested. Shiro carefully transferred Keith to Lance’s support, and as soon as Keith was in his arms Lance had an intense urge to never let him go. Brows furrowed in concentration, he moved Keith’s arm over his shoulders, clasping Keith’s wrist and wrapping his other arm securely around the shorter boy’s waist. The lean line of Keith’s body was pressed snugly against his own, and he could feel the small shivers that wracked the boy’s frame.

   Another wave of protectiveness washed through Lance, and he began guiding Keith towards the door, well-wishes and a few last minute instructions from the rest of the team following them into the hallway.

   “How long was I out?” Keith mumbled, hair falling to the side as he lifted his head.

   “About a day,” Lance replied, voice echoing in the silent corridor. “It was pretty quick, all things considered. Coran said your injuries were bad but there wasn’t many. Guess you’re a fast healer.”

   “Yeah,” Keith huffed, sounding out of breath, and Lance turned to get a glimpse of his face.

   “Does it still hurt?” he asked, and Keith nodded into Lance’s shoulder.

   “A little,” he said. “Mostly just tired.”

   Lance led them both to his own room instead of Keith's, but the other boy didn't comment, allowing Lance to settle him on the bed. Once Keith was seated, Lance went to the closet and pulled out one of the thin heated sleeping bags he had found a few weeks back. The material was incredibly soft and emitted a soft glow when it was turned on. Lance didn’t know how it worked, but it would keep Keith warm and that’s all he cared about.

   Both boys were silent as Lance got Keith into the sleeping bag and under the covers of the bed. He felt Keith’s dark eyes watching him as he climbed in beside him, and without hesitation he threw an arm and a leg around the red paladin, pulling him close. Keith’s cold nose was tucked in Lance’s neck, and they lay there silently until Keith began to warm up, his intermittent, jerking shivers slowly dying down. After a while Lance shifted, bringing up a hand to rest on the back of Keith’s head.

   “What happened out there?” he murmured softly, and Keith gave a shrug with one shoulder.

   “Ambush,” he said simply.

   Lance sighed and ducked his head, burying his face in the forelock of Keith’s hair that wasn’t hidden under the white hood of his jacket. They lapsed into silence again, but Lance’s chest felt tight. The fear of losing Keith still lingered, and the painful memory of the dark-haired boy’s request in the well stung the back of Lance’s mind. Slowly, he took a deep, shuddering breath, and spoke again.

   “Keith."

   Keith gave a hum of acknowledgement, sleepily nuzzling into the taller boy’s collarbone, and Lance’s heart skipped a beat.

   “I…” he whispered, then paused, searching for the right words. “If anything happened to you...I don’t know what I’d do. I could never leave you like that, Keith. I _need_ you.”

   Keith didn’t answer right away, but tentatively slipped his arms around Lance’s waist. Lance could feel Keith’s steady heartbeat against his own chest, and it was incredibly soothing.

   “I’m sorry,” Keith said guiltily, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just…”

   “Hey, I know. It’s ok,” Lance interrupted. “I just wanted you to know.”

   Keith went silent at that, and though his breathing was slow and even, Lance could tell he was deep in thought. A few times he thought Keith would say something, but he didn’t, so Lance’s waited patiently. Lying here cuddling Keith was very comfortable, and the stressful hours of waiting by the pod was starting to catch up with him. As the moments ticked by he felt himself drifting, and was almost asleep before Keith’s lilting voice broke the silence.

   “Back there…” he started, then stopped, voice lowering till it was barely a whisper. “...you said you loved me.”

   Lance smiled into the darkness and brought a hand up to card through Keith’s thick black hair. Keith shivered at the touch and went boneless, relaxing even deeper into Lance’s chest.

   “I did,” Lance replied. “Which you promptly followed up with a pun. A terribly _cheesy_ one I might add.”

   Keith snorted a soft laugh, then moved his head back to to face Lance. His violet eyes met Lance’s blue ones, sparkling in the dim light and taking his breath away. For a moment Keith was silent, his studying gaze trailing over the other’s face, but when he spoke his voice was sure.

   “I love you too.”

   Lance blushed and touched their foreheads together, breaths mingling.

   “That’s...that’s good. Yeah, I love you too,” he rambled, and felt Keith’s grin more than saw it, blushing even more when Keith’s arms tightened around him.

   “You already said that,” Keith teased.

   “I know. I just-” Lance exhaled, shifting to allow both his hands freedom to cup Keith’s face. “I’m just happy and relieved and...really glad your ok.” His voice trailed off into a whisper, and when he looked back at Keith the other paladin had a soft expression on his face. He was also staring at Lance’s lips, which, well.

   All it took was a small tilt of his chin, and Keith met him in the middle. Lance practically melted at the slow, gentle kiss, and he pressed closer, sliding his hands to link at the back of Keith’s head. Keith made a soft sound and moved his lips harder against Lance’s own, and when they broke apart they lay motionless for a moment, quietly breathing each other in. Eventually Keith tucked himself back into Lance’s arms, sighing happily as Lance stroked his back.

   “And I’m taking up your offer on the mom-sharing,” Keith added, and Lance kissed his nose before nuzzling back into his neck.

   “Good.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *heart explodes*  
> thank you for reading, comments are very appreciated <3
> 
> you're always welcome at my tumblr @paladin-pile


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